Technological Revolutions

The Information Revolution: The Origins of the Personal Computer and the Internet
The history of computers (and later, the internet) is unique; from the room sized over-grown calculators of the 1950s and the Cold War era, complete with punchcards; the feared tool of military-industrial complex in the 1960s; the development of the mouse, icons and drop-down menus by Xerox at Palo Alto in the early 1970s (and of course, a laser printer), this technology however, was not as profitable to Xerox as they had intended and they chose to sell it to a team of researchers in Silicon Valley. In 1977, these researchers (Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs) produced the Apple II computer, followed by the Macintosh which utilized these technologies that Xerox had discarded, also including a floppy disk drive and Apple's signature streamlined design. In 1983, IBM introduced the first Personal Computer with spreadsheet and word processing software, earning it the prestigious title of Machine of the Year from Time magazine. IBM used a new technology created by William Gates called MS-DOS, marking the trailhead of the careers of both Bill Gates and his Microsoft Corporation. It was at this point that the U.S Department of Defense funded the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to create an intercommunication/interconnection system that could survive a nuclear holocaust called ARPANET. In 1971, ARPANET became so central to computer use, the core of interconnectivity even and was renamed the Internet. As they say, well, the rest is history.

From military technology designed to survive a nuclear war to user-based, user-defined webpages: the Internet has had a remarkable journey.

The Digital Revolution: Web 2.0
In his short webvideo, now all over YouTube, Mike Wesch, Professor of Digital Ethnography and Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University concisely and effectively explains Web 2.0, that is, how text and hypertext have evolved; how the very construction of web pages has transitioned from HTML to XML, creating a user-defined, user-operated digital world that puts millions of bites of information at our fingertips. I was absolutely captivated by this short, and could not picture the presentation in any other way. Had this been presented in text (hard copy, digital, &c) it would not have been nearly so effective. Not only was video extremely interesting and much less difficult to traverse than black and white, but by using the media (the internet) he was describing as the method of presentation, it truly demonstrated and exemplified what Professor Wesch's point: The Machine Is Us/ing US

Michael Wesch's webvideo:


A response to Web 2.0



The Genetic Revolution: Round I (1870-1920)
Philip Thurtle, professor of Comparative History of Ideas (CHID) at the University of Washington, has introduced his latest book The Emergence of Genetic Rationality: Space, Time, and Information in American Biological Science, 1870-1920. While I have not had the opportunity to read this text, I cannot help but feel that it will be captivating (as much as Professor Thurtle's lectures) and offer a unique, insightful, thorough look into the history of genetics. While I have been in the audience for several of Thurtle's digital presentations and, while they were effective and educational and I was for the most part engaged, I cannot help but feel that Thurtle is perhaps more comfortable with text, and further, that the material he is presenting is in fact much more suited to text. I cannot give any specific reason why I feel this way, and I really have no evidence either.

iStructure? iRaspberry!

     After perusing the entire collection of 2007 blogs, I settled on my first impulsive choice, Julia Hamilton (aka Agent Xi) whose blog likely captured my attention for two reasons: the brilliant colour and her continual updates, including dozens and dozens of photographs. It is somewhat frustrating to note that most of these blogs have been sorely neglected, with posts ending in May or June; I think this is the most intriguing facet of Julia’s blog: her continuity and consistent activity. 

       Julia’s blog, one of the few to jump with colour, is a very feminine, witty and all together entertaining venue for reporting both her research and her experience in Amsterdam (and the surrounding area) at large. She makes this intimidatingly pre-formed and generic space her own; her ‘profile’ picture is colour-coordinated to her template, even her URL (iRaspberry.blogspot.com) indicates the tone of the blog. Like most of the Blogger-provided templates, designed by Doug Bowman and Co., there is little room for customization in terms of the actual page elements included in the template framework (without editing the CSS [cascading style sheets] which governs these objects). I am consistently annoyed by the archiving system provided, as it only allows for a chronological scroll-down of the blog posts, but does not allow for the selection of specific posts by date, subject or within the chronological flow of the blog as a whole. 

            Agent Xi uses her space as well as she is able; with classical text on the small-side, she effectively utilizes the space available to her (the centre ‘post’ column) while, despite the pink frou-frou-y template, maintaining a somewhat professional looking piece. She formats in dozens and dozens of photographs, creating a uniform pattern: introduction, short caption, photograph (lather, rinse, repeat) and concluding summary. She establishes this pattern early on and, seeing its effectiveness, or at least efficiency, sticks with it. 

       Within the framework of Lynch’s A Walk Around the Block featuring the collective adventure of 27 Bostonians (or pseudo-Bostonians as the case maybe) and their narrated walk around one square block in Boston, MA., Julia is certainly able to carve out her own space within this bland and generic canvas, and create a sense of structure and even rhythm, to which her writing conforms, flows and flourishes. In effect, she creates her own sub-template.